CHAPTER 19 Exploring Space - PC\|MACimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/AL/MobileCounty/... · Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronauts, were the first people to walk on

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RocketsThink about listening to a music recording. Now think

about how different it is to hear the same music at a live concert. This is like the difference between exploring space from a distance, with a telescope, and actually going there.

A big problem in launching an object into space is overcoming the force of Earth’s gravity. This is done with rockets. A rocket is a vehicle designed to propel itself by ejecting exhaust gas from one end. Fuel burned inside the rocket builds up pressure. Exhaust gases ejected from the end of a rocket push it forward. Rocket engines do not draw in oxygen from the surrounding air to burn their fuel, like jet engines. They carry their oxygen with them. This is how rockets can operate in space, where there is very little oxygen.

Scientists launch rockets from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station or the Kennedy Space Center nearby. However, space missions are managed by scientists at several different research stations around the country.

Artificial Satellites Any small object that orbits a larger object is a satellite. The

Moon is a natural satellite of Earth. Artificial satellites are made by people and launched by rockets. They orbit Earth or other bodies in space and transmit radio signals to Earth.

What do you think? Read the two statements below and decide whether you agree or disagree with them. Place an A in the Before column if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. After you’ve read this lesson, reread the statements to see if you have changed your mind.

Before Statement After

3. Humans have walked on the Moon.

4. Some orthodontic braces were developed using space technology.

Key Concepts • How are rockets and

artificial satellites used?• Why do scientists send

both crewed and uncrewed missions into space?

• What are some ways that people use space technology to improve life on Earth?

Create a Quiz Write a quiz question for each paragraph. Answer the question with information from the paragraph. Then work with a partner to quiz each other.

Key Concept Check1. Describe How are rockets used in space exploration?

Early History of Space Exploration

Exploring Space LESSON 2

CHAPTER 19

332 Exploring Space Reading Essentials

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The First Satellites—Sputnik and ExplorerThe first artificial satellite sent into Earth’s orbit was

Sputnik 1. The former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957. Many people think the space age began with the launching of Sputnik.

In 1958, the United States launched its first Earth-orbiting satellite, Explorer I. Today, thousands of satellites orbit Earth.

How Satellites Are UsedThe military developed the earliest satellites. These

satellites were used for navigation and to gather information.

Today, Earth-orbiting satellites are also used to send television and telephone signals and to monitor weather and climate. A group of satellites called the Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for navigation in cars, boats, airplanes, and even for hiking.

Early Exploration of the Solar SystemIn 1958, the U.S. Congress established the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA oversees all U.S. space missions, including space telescopes. Some early steps in U.S. space exploration are shown in the following table.

Early U.S. Space Exploration

Date Event

1926 First rocket: Robert Goddard’s liquid-fueled rocket rose 12 m into the air.

1958First U.S. satellite: Explorer 1 was launched. It orbited Earth 58,000 times before burning up in Earth’s atmosphere in 1970.

1962First planetary probe: Mariner 2 traveled to Venus and collected data for 3 months. The craft now orbits the Sun.

1972First probe to outer solar system: After flying past Jupiter, Pioneer 10 continues to travel through space. Someday, it will exit our solar system.

Key Concept Check 2. Explain How are Earth-orbiting satellites used?

Interpreting Tables3. Determine How many years after the first rocket was the first U.S. satellite launched into space?

Make a vertical two-tab book and record what you learn about crewed and uncrewed space missions under each tab.

CrewedMissions

UncrewedMissions

Reading Essentials Exploring Space 333


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Space ProbesSome spacecraft have human crews, but most do not.

A space probe is an uncrewed spacecraft sent from Earth to explore objects in space. Space probes are robots that work automatically or by remote control. They take pictures and gather data. Probes are cheaper to build than crewed spacecraft. They can also make trips that would be too long or too dangerous for humans. Space probes are not designed to return to Earth. Radio waves relay the data they gather back to Earth. The following table describes three major types of space probes.

Interpreting Tables

5. State Which type of probe might use a parachute?

SCIENCE USE V. COMMON USEprobeScience Use an uncrewed spacecraft

Common Use question or examine closely

Key Concept Check

4. Summarize Why do scientists send uncrewed missions to space?

Lunar and Planetary ProbesThe United States and the former Soviet Union sent the

first probes to the Moon in 1959. Probes to the Moon are called lunar probes. The term lunar refers to anything related to the Moon.

The flyby Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to gather information from another planet. It was sent to Venus in 1962. Since then, space probes have been sent to all the planets.

Future SpaceflightSending humans into space was a major goal of the early

space program. However, scientists worried that radiation from the Sun and weightlessness in space might hurt people’s health. So they first sent dogs, monkeys, and chimpanzees.

In 1961, the first human—an astronaut from the former Soviet Union—was launched into Earth’s orbit. Not much later, the first American astronaut orbited Earth.

Space Probes

Type Description

OrbitersWhen orbiters reach their destination, they use rockets to slow down enough to be captured in a planet’s orbit. The length of their orbit depends on their fuel supply.

LandersLanders touch down on surfaces. Sometimes they release rovers. Landers use rockets and parachutes to slow down as they land.

FlybysFlybys do not orbit or land. When a flyby finishes its mission, it continues traveling through space. It eventually leaves the solar system.


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The Apollo ProgramIn 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy challenged

the American people to place a person on the Moon by the end of the decade. The result was Project Apollo—a series of space missions designed to send people to the Moon. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronauts, were the first people to walk on the Moon.

Space Transportation SystemsEarly spacecraft and the rockets used to launch them

were used only once. Space shuttles are reusable spacecraft that transport people and materials to and from space. Space shuttles return to Earth and land much like airplanes. NASA’s fleet of space shuttles began operating in 1981. As the shuttles got older, NASA began developing a new transportation system, Orion, to replace them.

The International Space StationThe United States has its own space program. But it also

works with the space programs of other countries. In 1998, it joined 15 other nations to begin building the International Space Station, which is shown in the figure below. The International Space Station is an Earth-orbiting research laboratory. Astronauts from many countries have been working and living there since 2000.

Research conducted aboard the International Space Station includes studying fungus, plant growth, and how human body systems react to low gravity conditions.

Reading Check

6. Identify What was the goal of Project Apollo?

Visual Check

8. Identify What are some obvious features of the International Space Station?

International Space Station

7. Consider Why did NASA develop space shuttles?



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Space TechnologyThe space program needs materials that can survive the

extreme temperatures and pressures of space. Many of these materials have been applied to everyday life on Earth.

New MaterialsSpace materials must protect people from extreme

conditions. They also must be flexible and strong. Materials developed for spacesuits are now used to make racing suits for swimmers, lightweight firefighting gear, running shoes, and other sports clothing.

Safety and HealthNASA developed a strong, fibrous material to make

parachute cords for spacecraft that land on planets and moons. This material is five times stronger than steel. It is now also being used to make radial tires for automobiles.

Medical ApplicationsArtificial limbs, infrared ear thermometers, and robotic

surgery have roots in the space program. So do orthodontic braces. These braces contain a hard, strong, ceramic material that was originally developed to strengthen the heat resistance of space shuttles.

Reading Check

9. Identify Name two everyday items that use materials that were originally developed for space.

Key Concept Check

10. Evaluate What are some ways that space exploration has improved life on Earth?



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Mini Glossary

Reread the statements at the beginning of the lesson. Fill in the After column with an A if you agree with the statement or a D if you disagree. Did you change your mind?

What do you think

END OF LESSON

Log on to ConnectED.mcgraw-hill.com and access your textbook to find this lesson’s resources.

ConnectED

lunar: anything related to the Moon

Project Apollo: a series of space missions designed to send

people to the Moon

rocket: a vehicle designed to propel itself by ejecting exhaust

gas from one end

satellite: any small object that orbits a larger object

space probe: an uncrewed spacecraft sent from Earth to

explore objects in space

space shuttle: a reusable spacecraft that transports people

and materials to and from space

1. Review the terms and their definitions in the Mini Glossary. Write a sentence explaining why a space shuttle is not a space probe.

2. Use the graphic organizer below to place the following events in correct order: Sputnik is launched, International Space Station is built, Mariner 2 visits Venus, NASA’s space shuttles begin operation. Include the year of the event .

3. Randomly select a quiz question you created as you read this lesson. Do not look at the answer you originally wrote for the question. Now, without looking back at the lesson, answer the question below.

Event

Year

Event

Year

Event

Year

Event

Year



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CHAPTER 19 Exploring Space - PC\|MACimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/AL/MobileCounty/... · Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronauts, were the first people to walk on